Yesterday a sick and deranged act took place in which 13 people lost their lives and dozens more were injured.

I am incredibly angry at what the alleged perpetrator did. To be clear, he

• Betrayed his country
• Betrayed his oath
• Betrayed the armed services
• Betrayed the muslim community

A reporter recently informed me that I was the only Muslim to hold elected office in California. I don’t know if that is still true – but a response as a community leader (who happens to be Muslim) is warranted.

After being elected, many approached me to ask earnest questions. Our media is not often the best tool for education. While I do not want to turn this into a discussion of Islam; compassion, mercy and charity are points of the faith I draw particular strength and comfort from.

Islam is pretty clear: criminal acts involving murder are forbidden explicitly. As a community leader, and as a Muslim, I condemn these acts.

I neither know what put the gun in the shooter’s hand nor what drove him to pull the trigger. Anyone claiming an Islamic justification for his criminal action is flat out wrong.

Like other faith-groups, Muslims are looking for ways to raise families and live the American dream. Today, the American Muslim community feels like all Americans do: outraged, betrayed and demanding justice be served quickly.

In addition to offering condolences to the families of the fallen, we must reassert our solidarity with everyone serving our country in uniform.

My thoughts go to the more than 20,000 current active-duty Muslim servicemen and women who will have to try even harder in the wake of this shooting to prove their loyalty to their fellow service personnel. Dozens of Muslim-Americans have already given their lives in the service of their country just in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those currently in the services don’t deserve to face hostility from two fronts.